Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia Headphones

Great product, great sound (bass), great price! Buy it! I originally was strayed by the negative reviews, but I purchased the earphones anyway because I wanted to compare JBUDS and these. My boyfriend always purchases these because he kept on complaining about my ipod headphones. I'm glad he told me to buy these. They're wonderful! Just take care of the wires, and try to not to knot them by utilizing the carrying case.

I have owned two pair of these earphones now, one black and one white. The white pair lasted less that 4 months, the black pair just over 6. I keep them in a compartment in my messenger bag, along with my iPod nano, to use on the bus or if I am walking around downtown. They are not subjected to any out of the ordinary stress, but in both cases, the Right earbud suddenly stops working. Just goes dead. I had the second pair die this morning when I got on the bus. So today, I need to buy new ones...but twice is more than enough chances for these. Sad thing is, I really liked the sound and the fit they had...but 4-6 months of lifespan is worthless...especially when they are not treated roughly.

Headphones are great, they are comfortable and come with three different ear bud sizes. Sound quality is also great. Bang for the buck.

First off, yes the sound quality is very good and if you plan to sit around the house doing nothing but listening to music then these would be fine. But then if you're not buying them for active use then you should just get a good pair of over-the-head style Senheiser or Grado. So then assuming that one buys this style of headphone for use when running, cycling, working out, etc then sound quality takes a back seat to comfort and ease of use. With the asymmetrical design of the cord (right side is much shorter than left) the right bud is constantly tugging and eventually pulling out of the ear. Also, prior to the bud being ripped from your ear the seal is lost which means that all of the aforementioned sound quality is lost since this style of phone relies on deep insertion into the ear canal for a good seal. If you sweat while working out then the cord will stick to the skin and as the cord slips down (due to the heavy connector Sony uses for the extension) it resists sliding back up ... Read more

Overall, I like these headphones a lot. They are, by far, superior to the headphones that come with the Ipod. I use mine primarily when I workout. It's nice to be able to put them in my ear and not have to worry about them falling out. My only complaint is that I wish the headphone cord were shorter. Occasionally when I play basketball the cord, because of its length, gets in my way. The original Sony headphone design gave you the option to shorten the amount of cord you used. However, the new design no longer provides that option. I wish Sony would bring it back. But overall I am pleased with headphones and quality of sound.